‘Love stories have always fascinated me’

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After a series of gritty and intense roles, Irrfan Khan is poised to reveal his romantic side in his next film Lunchbox. The film that premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and debutante Nimrat Kaur. The story revolves around a lunch box that sparks a romantic relationship between two people who have never met.
Speaking of the film, Irrfan says, “We have tried to do something new with the film. It has a universal language. Since we didn’t have much of a budget for publicity, we decided to showcase the film way before its release to make people aware that such a film exists.” He may have done a lot of serious roles in the past, but Irrfan says that he loves the genre of romance. “Love stories have always fascinated me. I tried to find opportunities but never got a chance to do a typical love story. I don’t think the audience would want to see me in them either. The story has to have a new dimension, where I can give something extra,” he says, adding, “It’s all about how you express love. It can be through a lunch box or through love notes tied to pigeons.”
Speaking of himself, recalling his boyhood days, Irrfan says, “I was a shy guy who found it very difficult to convey his feelings to girls. I could never articulate my love for any of them. However, it would be the girls instead who would try to express their love for me.” The actor feels that in today’s youth, there is not much space left for romance. “Today, boys and girls change their romantic partners like book covers. It’s more about the physical aspect. Earlier it was not like this. It’s sad to see that romance does not exist these days.”
The actor’s version of an ultimate love story seems to be far from the usual. “I don’t know what romance would exactly mean to me. I cannot explain it. It’s something magical. It keeps you on a high. An ultimate love story is one where the lovers never meet. All the successful loves stories have been those were love was never fulfilled,” he says.
Who’s Irrfan’s ideal woman? “She should have a good sense of humour. Physical appearance is only important to a certain extent but that cannot sustain a relationship. She should be mature and not just talk about clothes and nail paints.